


Guardian Angel

by SweetSorcery



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Canon, Angst, Best Friends, Ficlet, Friendship, Gen, Gen Fic, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Male Friendship, Male Slash, Nightmares, Protectiveness, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-30
Updated: 2011-10-30
Packaged: 2017-10-25 02:20:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/270666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetSorcery/pseuds/SweetSorcery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ron's nightmares are nothing at all like Harry's.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guardian Angel

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All canon referred to within belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, Warner Bros. Inc., and possibly others. Non-canon bits were created for non-profit, non-infringement entertainment.
> 
> Archiving: Nowhere except here, and not in translated form either.
> 
> Author's Notes: This was written years ago for fic_on_demand on a theme of "Nightmares". Depending on your preference, you can read this as slash or gen.

It's become a habit over the better part of the last seven years. At least three nights a week, Ron is woken up by screaming or groaning from the next bed. Each time, he rushes to Harry's side, shaking him awake and patting his back or, as he has been doing lately, holding him for a few minutes and stroking his hair before going back to his own bed.

Harry is always calmer afterwards, goes back to sleep amazingly quickly and never has another nightmare that same night.

Ron usually doesn't go back to sleep himself. At least not until it's nearly morning. Sometimes he just sits awake in his bed, staring into thin air. Sometimes he sits huddled at the window and gazes out at the night sky over Hogwarts to make sure there are no Dark Marks, dementors or Death Eaters. But usually, lately anyway, he lies on his side and watches Harry. Watches him sleep and breathe easy. Watches him with his forehead smooth again and his blankets tucked in neatly because he, Ron, has tucked him in. Watches him be safe.

It's good to know that Harry is safe, because that's not a feeling Ron has very often. He always feels like his best friend's every step, since the day they came here at least, has been haunted by ghouls and demons and villains in every disguise known to man.

Sometime in fifth year, maybe even earlier, Ron became Harry's self-appointed guardian angel. He'd never tell Harry that, of course. But Harry really doesn't need to know. It's enough that Ron knows. It's enough – at least for now – that Ron can keep him safe at night. He doesn't know if he'll be able to do so in battle, if he'll be a strong enough wizard or in the right place at the right time. But here, in the hushed silence of the boys' dorm, Ron keeps Harry's monsters at bay like a fiery-headed knight in shining armour.

And Ron doesn't mind losing sleep to do his duty. It is worth it for his charge. Harry always, always, has to come first. And besides…

Ron knows that once the night settles around Harry again, and his friend's sleeping thoughts calm to a gentle lull, he too is safe from nightmares of his own. And he has them, if he allows himself to sleep on those nights. His nightmares don't make him scream or groan. His make him weep in silence when he wakes up.

Ron's monsters are nothing like Harry's. Ron's monsters are Professor Dumbledore, McGonnagall, Snape, Hermione… any number of people on their side. In Ron's dreams, they always lead him to Harry's body on a battlefield somewhere and tell him he has failed.

No, it is much better to stay awake and watch over Harry.


End file.
